The Los Angeles Lakers were close to making a sign-and-trade with the Detroit Pistons for star center Jalen Duren earlier this summer.
But as the drama continues with the player and team amid his restricted free agency, the Lakers should be happy they instead went with Walker Kessler, as the decision to trade for him makes the front office look genius, as Duren continues to remain in messy contract extension negotiations with the Pistons.
The Lakers met with Duren this offseason, but the young big man is now searching for, and could get, a deal worth more than $200 million, much more than the $130 million price Los Angeles paid for Kessler, despite the mixed reviews on the deal so far.
Lakers Almost Make A Jalen Duren Trade, But Walker Kessler Was The Right Move
Reporting earlier this summer, Sam Amick of The Athletic said the Lakers had a meeting with Duren, a restricted free agent who was previously thought to be a top trade target for Los Angeles.
“Sources: Jalen Duren scheduled to meet with the Lakers again tomorrow, and strong signs they’re willing to go big with a possible restricted free agency offer,” he wrote in a post on X.
“Duren was told by the Lakers in the meeting that they view him as a maximum-salary level player, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe ongoing deliberations,” Amick added in his reporting. “Duren is the sort of elite frontcourt talent who would pair well with franchise centerpiece Luka Dončić for the long-term.”
Update on the Kings meeting and lay of that land as well, at @TheAthletic
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin had a similar report around the same time.
“Detroit Pistons restricted free agent center Jalen Duren has a planned call with the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, a league source confirmed to ESPN (@sam_amick first). However DET thus far is uninterested in pursuing a sign and trade with their All-Star big man, sources said,” he wrote in a post.
Instead, the Lakers targeted Kessler, agreeing to a deal with the Utah Jazz and signing the center to a four-year, $130 million deal.
Kessler does take up nearly 20% of the Lakers’ salary cap for next season, but a Duren contract would be a lot more.
Additionally, though Kessler is relatively unproven, Duren collapsed in the playoffs for the Pistons. When it comes to a question mark versus a known negative, the Lakers probably made the right move by going after a guy who has more upside compared to what Detroit’s restricted free agent showed in the biggest moment of his young career.
There is a massive caveat in all of this, and that’s the fact that the Lakers trade four first-round picks for Kessler.
However, for any team attempting to trade for Duren, they would have to give up several big assets and sign him to a $200+ million deal.
Pistons $200 Million Drama With Restricted Free Agent Continues
Perhaps the only reason why the Lakers stand to benefit from not going after Duren is that he is still a restricted free agent and has yet to agree on a contract extension to return to the Pistons.
Along with not taking the new $200 million contract offer over five years, Duren reportedly felt disrespected by a weight clause in the contract and has since not shown up for Media Day and is expected to miss the start of training camp.
Both the Milwaukee Bucks and Sacramento Kings have an interest in trading for the young center, as, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, each team is ready to offer him more than the $200 million offer the Pistons recently made.
Duren has until Thursday, October 1, to take his qualifying offer worth roughly $9.7 million in what would be one of the biggest ‘bet on yourself’ moments in recent NBA history.
Regardless, after what was expected to be a somewhat straightforward restricted free agency, Duren and the Pistons now take the lead over Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors for the messiest negotiations over the past several years.
The Lakers dodged a bullet by not going all-out on Duren, and though many questions remain on Kessler’s fit for the price they paid, Los Angeles escaping the drama Detroit is currently in should be seen as good news for everyone involved in the franchise.
Restricted free agency has proved to be a dangerous game in the NBA, and the Lakers made the right move by getting Kessler in a relatively simple sign-and-trade earlier this summer.
Lakers Dodge Jalen Duren Trade Bullet As $200M Pistons Drama Gets Worse